


I Want You to Need Me

by tititenis



Category: Little Witch Academia
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/F, Future Fic, Happy Ending, Heartbreak, Marriage, Please Don't Hate Me, Relationship Problems, The two of them are adults in this one, The two of them have graduated Luna Nova, the two of them talk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-19
Updated: 2020-10-29
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:33:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,437
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27110521
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tititenis/pseuds/tititenis
Summary: Akko Kagari thought that marrying Diana was her ever after ending.She learned the hard way life is never that easy.
Relationships: Diana Cavendish & Atsuko "Akko" Kagari, Diana Cavendish/Atsuko "Akko" Kagari
Comments: 55
Kudos: 154





	1. I Can't Take This Anymore

**Author's Note:**

> I... I really did write angst for Diakko. 
> 
> Please don't hate me :(

One usually thinks that the moment you say ‘I do’ is the ever after ending you’ve been waiting for your whole life. That it was the journey what was difficult, but once you reach the destination you’re set-up and nothing will come between the two of you. 

Right? 

Atsuko Kagari had thought so as well. 

Not only did she need to prove to all that she could be a capable student and then performer; but she also had to show everyone that it didn’t matter where she came from. That as long as she worked hard, studied and was kind to others she could do anything. 

And she had succeeded in that as well. 

But when it came to her relationship with her wife, Diana Cavendish, Akko hadn’t expected things to turn out the way they did. 

Diana was… 

The best thing that had ever happened to Akko. 

Falling in love with her, doing her best to win the blonde’s heart and then asking her to join their lives… 

The brunette witch had thought _that_ would be the hardest thing to do. 

Because not only did she have to show Diana that they could be together: She also had to show everyone else around them that she was worthy of being Diana’s wife. 

So when she put that ring on Diana’s finger, Akko had thought that there was nothing else that could stand between their love. 

Except life itself. 

Their first two years of married life were so wonderful, filled with a love and companionship that neither of them had been accustomed to. With Diana growing up in her mansion all by herself and Akko studying away from her family and friends; neither of them had experienced the domestic bliss and relief in knowing that there would always be someone waiting for them at home. 

But lately, that started changing. 

Long nights at the Cavendish Hospital meant that Akko barely saw her wife apart from having breakfast together in the early morning if Akko happened to wake up. Not only that, but the brunette felt selfish asking her wife to spend time together when the blonde was home; noticing the bags under her eyes and the way she fell asleep when they were watching T.V on the couch. 

And all those nights in which the two would just talk and share their feelings, their burdens and their fears… 

Akko now laid alone in their bed, staring at the space next to her that should have been filled by her wife. 

Akko hated it. 

Yet how could she tell this to Diana, who seemed each passing day more and more stressed? 

Now, instead of coming home every night, Diana spent entire days at the hospital, sleeping there so that she wouldn’t inconvenience or wake Akko up in the middle of the night. 

Akko felt so lonely. 

Their house, which had been an expression of their two distinctive personalities, was now a bitter reminder of her wife whom she barely saw. Instead of feeling happiness at the sight of her wife’s possessions, all she felt now was anger and bitterness at having to yet again come to the realization that she was alone. 

Although she had a ring on her left finger that said she was married, Akko hadn’t felt as alone and sad as she was now feeling. 

“But I promised.” she whispered to herself every night. “For better or worse, I promised to love her. I know I did. So why is it now so hard to do so?” she cried as she hugged her pillow, wondering how much she would be able to take before she broke down. 

For Akko knew it was inevitable. 

And it did happen. 

One night, Diana came back home for dinner. And Akko, who had not seen her wife for the last five days, was ecstatic at the sight of her. 

Then they actually sat down and, to Akko’s terror, she realized that the person in front of her was not her wife anymore. She wasn’t the woman Akko had fallen in love with all those years ago at Luna Nova. 

She was a shadow of the person Diana was. 

Akko broke. 

“I can’t do this anymore.” she whispered as she let her forks drop to the table. “I can’t.” she choked out. 

Diana didn’t even look away from her newspaper, which only made Akko more upset. 

“Did you hear me?” she laughed bitterly as she abruptly stood up from her chair, the sound finally making Diana stare at her. 

“Whatever do you mean Akko?” Diana asked her confused. 

“This. Us!” she points at the two of them. “I’ve been feeling so alone. So sad and bitter.” she confessed. “But because you’ve barely been here you haven’t noticed. And that’s not even the saddest part.” she laughed bitterly. “The saddest part is that even though you’re now here, I still feel alone. I still feel ignored and unimportant.” 

“Akko…” Diana whispered, completely surprised. “I had no idea.” 

“Of course you didn’t. You’re not here. We don’t talk anymore. We don’t laugh anymore. Living in this house.” she choked out. “It’s a torment. I hate it here.” 

Diana stands up from the table, wanting to close the distance between the two of them. 

“Don’t.” Akko stopped her with one word. “I don’t want you near me.” 

And hearing those words, for the first time since the two had been married, brought fear to Diana’s heart. 

Akko had been her anchor, her light among the darkness. The one that had taken the time and effort to truly see her. The one that had extended her hand towards her and had asked her to grab it. 

Akko had saved Diana all those years ago. Had made her realize that she was more than her last name, was more than the legacy of her family. 

That she was capable of anything as long as she stayed true to herself and her feelings. 

Yet now that she was truly staring at her wife for the first time in Jennifer knows how long, Diana could see that the light that had blinded her so many years ago had dimmed, letting her see the anger and helplessness on her wife’s face clearly. 

And Diana had been so self-absorbed and absent to realize it. 

“Akko…” the blonde says heartbroken as she sees her wife breaking down right in front of her.

She had done that to Akko. 

She had done that to her ray of light. 

“All this time, I’ve been wanting you to see me. To notice me. To need me.” Akko cried. “To be the first person you think of when you wake up and the last person you see when you go to bed. To be the only one you see in your dreams.” she begged her. “I want to be the world to you. Is it selfish of me to want it all from my wife?” 

_No, it isn’t._

“I’ve felt so bad about myself, about wanting to take you away from your hospital, from your patients who clearly need you… And I’ve hated myself for, even after realizing how despicable and jealous I can be, still wanting to do so.” Akko stared at her and the sight made Diana flinch. “Because this is not the person I wish to be, Dia.” she whimpered. 

Desperate to hold her wife, Diana tries to move forward again, needing to calm and assuage her fears. 

“Please don’t.” Akko told her yet again. “I… I’m too angry and upset that I don’t know how I would react to you touching me.” she admitted sadly as she gave her wife a sad look. “I don’t want to feel this way anymore. I can’t feel like this anymore.” she finished resolutely. 

Diana only stares at her, for the first time since she graduated Luna Nova, not knowing what to do. 

“What can I do to help?” she asks softly. “I’ll do anything. I swear.” 

“Let me go.” Akko said softly and to hear those words made the blonde feel like her word was ending. 

“What?” she chokes out. 

“Let me go.” Akko repeated herself. 

“But…” Diana cries as she realizes what her wife meant with those words. “But we are married, Akko. I love you with my whole heart and I want to help you. Please let me help you.” 

“Do you really?” the brunette asked her with a sad smile. “Do you really still love me? Because I haven’t felt that for a while.” 

And that, Diana thought as she felt herself drop back down to her chair, was what finally broke her. 

She had been so absent and self-absorbed in her own life that she had made her Akko believe she didn’t love her anymore. 

“Of course I still love you.” Diana felt tears falling from her eyes. “It will only be you for me, Akko.” she promised her. “Do you…” she is scared of asking but finds she has to do so. “Do you still love me?” 

  
  
  
  
  


“I don’t know.” Akko finally answered her and to hear those words from her wife made Diana realize what all of this meant. 

It meant that Akko was leaving her. 

As quick as she had come to that realization, darkness started encompassing Diana. The walls surrounding her were closing in on her, making all the light and noise around her disappear, only leaving her in an endless void. 

Just like she had been before she met Akko. 

“But I want to.” the brunette adds and these words make it through her self-imposed darkness. “By Jennifer, I want to love you again, Dia. But with the way I’m now I can’t. Not after all that I’ve felt while living in this house.” she stared at her. “Which is why I need to go. I need to see and do something else than be your wife, Diana.” 

Diana nods, not knowing the right words to say to her wife. 

She felt so heartbroken. 

“And I understand it’s selfish of me to ask you this. I did make a promise to you on our wedding day.” Akko added as she got a little closer to her. “But with the way I am and the way I feel now… I can’t fulfill that promise to you.” 

“I…” Diana whispered. “I understand, Akko.” she said heartbroken. “And it isn’t selfish of you to take care of yourself. I just…” she lets herself be vulnerable in front of the person she loves most. “I’m just worried you won’t come back. And I know it’s ironic of me to say this after all the pain I’ve put you through. After all the nights you had to spend alone because of my selfishness- that I am the one that is scared.” she laughs bitterly. “But I’ve always been so selfish when it came to you, Akko.” 

“Then that makes two of us.” Akko smiled at her for the first time since they started having dinner. 

“I’ll be better.” Diana promises her. “For when you return, I’ll be better for you.” she vows and then realizes that she was taking for granted that Akko would come back. 

“You will return one day, right?” the blonde whispers. 

“I’ll always return to you.” Akko says and that’s the last thing Diana hears before she watches her wife go to her room to pack her belongings. 

It was the next morning, when Diana got out of bed and went to the kitchen to get herself some breakfast, that she realized her Akko was already gone, a note on the kitchen stand the only thing left of her. 

_Wait for me, Dia._

_I promise to come back to you. So until then, please wait for me._

_Your Akko._

“Always.” Diana squeezes the letter and allows herself to finally cry, realizing how big and empty this house felt without her Akko in it. 

“I’ll always wait for you.


	2. A New Beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Months have gone by since Akko and Diana last spoke, with both of them separately working on their issues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I forgot that I'm impatient so I went ahead and finished this! Thank you so much for all the love.

“Good morning Akko.” the older woman says to her as she takes a seat in front of her. 

“Hi Olivia.” Akko says with a smile. “How are you doing today?” 

“I’m doing really well.” Olivia tells her. “My daughter messaged me earlier telling me she got second place on the spelling bee and that she’s going to represent the school in the next competition.” 

“That’s awesome! I know she was studying really hard to make sure she made the cut.” 

“Indeed. All those hours of repeating and practicing the words with her were worth it. Believe me, I will never forget the way to spell weimaraner.” she chuckles. 

“I still don’t understand why a dog breed would have such a weird name.” Akko laughs. 

Olivia stares at her, knowing that the brunette was stalling as she usually did when she was feeling nervous about something. 

“When I first came to see you…” Akko starts saying. “I was broken. I felt angry and bitter at everyone around me but mostly at myself for having allowed things to get to that point.” she closes her eyes. “After my injury forced me to retire, I was devastated. It had always been my dream to be a performer, to bring happiness and joy to everyone around me.” 

“And you did. Many still talk of how wonderful your performances as Akko the Believer were and how much you influenced a whole new generation of witches and wizards to pursue their dreams.” Olivia tells her honestly. 

It was true. When Akko started performing under the stage name of Akko the Believer, her message had been to follow your dreams and to be the best person you could be. Just like Shiny Chariot had been her role model, so had Akko been for many children around the world. 

Until the accident happened. 

A miscalculation on her side and a mistake from her crew led to her hitting her leg with one of her spells. 

And magic was always tricky. 

While at first she didn’t think that anything was wrong, she started noticing a lingering pain on her leg, almost as if it was losing its strength. 

Something that her wife confirmed to her after forcing her to visit the hospital and get some tests done. 

“It’s almost as if the veins and sensors that move through your leg are no longer receiving magic.” Diana had told her sadly. “While you can still walk and even run with your leg, the moment you do strenuous magic you’ll immediately feel pain.” 

“I can deal with pain!” Akko had said immediately. “I’m used to working harder than others anyway.” 

“True darling, but I’m afraid that in this case fighting through the pain won’t help. It will only make things worse. If you were to continue performing… You would lose your leg forever” her wife had said somberly. 

“I…” Akko had felt as if her world was ending the moment she heard those words. “Can you help me? Can you find a way to get me to perform again?” 

Diana had looked at her, determined and willing. 

“I’ll do all I can darling.” she promised her. 

Diana never found a cure. 

At the time, Akko had been so self-absorbed in her fear and desperation that she hadn’t considered what that promise would mean to Diana. How pressured she must have felt about finding a cure and getting her back on that stage. 

Of helping her get her purpose back.

It had only been thanks to her sessions with Olivia that Akko had realized how selfish she had been with her wife and the impossible expectations she had of her. 

Since Diana had always seemed so perfect and wonderful to her, Akko had unconsciously placed her on a pedestal, making her unreachable and unattainable when it came to discussing things such as their marriage and their feelings. 

Of course, it wasn’t all her fault. Diana had also been absent. She had made it difficult for Akko to share her emotions and had been distant since the accident. 

She needed to ask her wife why she had done that. Ask her why she had stepped away from their marriage, from their home and from their lives together.

And to do that, she needed to go see her wife. 

“I think I’m ready.” Akko whispers to her. “To contact Diana and talk to her.” 

Olivia nods. 

“That’s a really big step.” her therapist tells her calmly. 

“I… I really miss her.” she admits. “And after everything we’ve talked about, I want to know what Diana was feeling. What you told me, about how injuries like these not only affect the person with the injury but their significant other as well… It made me realize how pressured Diana must have felt to see me at home mulling and doing nothing. The responsibility I unconsciously placed on her when I asked her to find a cure.” 

Olivia nods, feeling that Akko was ready to have this important conversation with her wife. 

“And do you know what you’ll do after you talk?” 

Akko smiles. 

“I have no idea.” she chuckles. “But I think that’s okay too. I have a job now that fulfills me in different ways and I’m content with the steps I’ve taken to learn to control and express my emotions.” she looks down. “But there’s still something missing, Olivia. A piece of me that is waiting for me to get it back.” she smiles and looks at her therapist confidently. “A piece of me that I left with my wife, Diana.” 

* * *

“Diana.” Thomas says as he watches the blonde doctor sit down. “I was surprised that you scheduled an appointment with me even though our last session was three days ago. Did something happen?” 

“Akko contacted me.” Diana tells him bluntly, not being able to control her nervousness. “She wants to talk.” 

“And isn’t that what you wanted? To get the opportunity to speak with her and hear her side of things? To share your feelings and your worries that before you were too scared to tell her?” 

Diana nods. 

“I just…” she closes her eyes. “What if she doesn’t like what I have to say? What if she doesn’t understand?” 

Thomas calmly stares at Diana, noticing how the news had affected her. Although they worked at the same hospital, he had never talked to the blonde doctor until the day she came to see him. But he knew who she was. Everyone did. A prodigy from Luna Nova and one of the lead witch-doctors in the field, many came from all around the world to seek treatment with Diana, with many calling her the Miracle Witch. 

The Miracle Witch that hadn’t been able to heal her own wife. 

The burden of people expecting the impossible from you. 

“Even if that were the case, that shouldn’t deter you from speaking your truth with your wife. When you came to see me all those months ago, you said that one of the things you regretted most was not opening up to Akko and telling her how you felt. How pressured and scared you were of failing her. How the loss of your mother made you feel that what was happening to Akko was similar and how your desperation to fix things made you lose sight of your marriage.” 

Diana nods, knowing that everything Thomas was telling her was the truth. 

“But what if she leaves again?” Diana shares her fears. 

“That’s something beyond your control Diana. And instead of focusing on that, why don’t you think of what you would like to tell Akko?” 

Diana thinks of her answer. 

“I would like to explain to her why I wasn’t home. How guilty I felt when I was unable to help her and how scared I was of returning home without any good news. How scared I was of her leaving me because I was unable to cure her.” she smiles sadly. “How much of a coward I was for choosing to stay away rather than face her and tell her how I truly felt. How sad and lonely I’ve felt without her. How I can begin to understand what she must have felt when she was all alone at our home…” 

Thomas nods. 

“How much I want her to come back to me.” Diana whispers. “How it feels as if a part of me is missing without her close to me. And to promise to her that I’ll be a better wife. A more honest and open wife. A more present wife.” 

“Well then…” the man gives her an encouraging smile. “Seems to me like you already know what you want to tell her, right? All that’s left to do is be brave enough to open up to her. And after all this time I’ve known you…” he tells her honestly. “I _know_ you can be brave.” 

* * *

Walking towards the park where the two used to have picnics in, Akko can’t deny that she’s nervous. After contacting Diana and asking her to meet her for a talk, all the brunette had been able to think about was what she was going to say. How Diana would take what she said. How she would react...

Would she take it well or would she pretend that everything was alright? 

Would her wife open up in return and answer the many questions Akko had for her? 

Diana had always been the strongest of the two of them. The one that could be relied on and the one that always solves everyone’s problems.

But who was the one that solved Diana’s problems? 

Akko _wanted_ to be that person. 

“Akko.” she hears her wife’s voice come from behind her and it takes all Akko has to not stand up and run towards her. 

She had missed her so much. 

“Diana.” the brunette gives her a smile as she watches her wife take a seat next to her. “Thank you for coming to see me.” 

“Thank you for wanting to talk to me.” Diana tells her back and the two stare at each other, feeling awkward all of a sudden. 

This was almost like their first date, one in which Akko had tried her damnedest to impress Diana with tea and scones that had ended up with the brunette spilling the tea all over the scones. 

She hears Diana chuckle. 

“This reminds me so much of our first date.” Diana explains to her and watches Akko smile. “How hard you were trying to impress me by pouring the tea and that instead of pouring it on the cups…” 

“I poured it all over the scones.” Akko adds with a laugh. “I was so embarrassed! You have no idea how much time I spent practicing for it to end with me ruining the scones.” 

“It was the best first date I could have asked for.” the blonde tells her warmly. “Even if you had poured the tea all over me, which thank Jennifer you did not, it would have still been the best date because I was having the date with you.” 

“You always seemed so out of reach. So perfect and bright. I wanted to show you and everyone else that I was worthy of your love. That I could be a dependable partner for you.” 

“And you were. Marrying you was the best decision I could have made, Akko.” Diana says to her softly. “I’m just sorry I wasn’t a good wife to you.” 

“Diana…” 

“Can I please say this first before my nerves get the better of me?” she asks and Akko nods. “When I was unable to find a cure for you… I felt like a failure. Here I’m able to help people from all around the world and the one person I can’t help is the one that matters to me the most?” she chuckles bitterly. “It made me feel the same helplessness I felt when I was a child and my mother got sick.” 

“Diana…” Akko whispers. 

“And I hated myself for being unable to make you smile again. For having to return home and tell you that I hadn’t been able to find a cure yet and to see the hope disappear from your eyes the longer it took me. I couldn’t… I didn’t want to face you after I promised to help you, Akko. I was a coward, and instead of telling you how I felt, I ran away, hid behind my practice and the idea that if I couldn’t help you then I was going to help all the other people who came to see me.” 

“I don’t blame you for not being able to find a cure, Dia.” Akko uses her nickname as she addresses her. “And it took me going to therapy to realize how selfish I had been in asking you to do such a thing. How much pressure I must have put on you by having these unrealistic expectations.” she closes her eyes. “I honestly don’t know how I would have reacted if you had told me you wouldn’t be able to cure me when I asked you to do so all those years ago.” she admits. “I may have seen it as you not loving me enough or perhaps not being willing to fight for me. But later… When you stopped coming home and I spent days all alone... I needed you so much Dia.” 

“I’m sorry.” Diana whispers as she feels herself tearing up. “For running away and for being incapable of telling you the truth when I realized I wouldn’t be able to do a thing. For not giving you the closure you needed to move on.” 

Akko nods, knowing it would have hurt to hear those words from her wife but that it would have been better than spending all that time alone. 

“Why didn’t you tell me this all those months ago? Why did you wait until I left to open up to me and to let me see how you truly feel?” Akko asks her sadly. 

“I don’t know.” Diana admits to her. “Growing up with my aunt and her family, with all the expectations people have of me… I can’t be seen as weak or insecure. I need to be confident and strong.” 

“Not to me.” Akko says. “You can show me how you truly feel Dia. I’m your wife. I want to know everything about you: The good, the bad, the sad… It’s all a part of you and I want you to show it all to me.” 

“But what if you don’t like what you see?” Diana asks her insecurely. “What if I’m not the woman you thought I was when you married me?” 

“Then it will be wonderful to fall in love with her as well.” Akko answers her simply. “I also needed to tell you how upset I was. How lonely and sad I felt. But I placed your job and your responsibilities above my own feelings. Gave them too much importance. Not that it’s wrong, but the way I did it, how it stopped me from opening up and telling you what I felt… I shouldn’t have done that.” 

“You will always come first, Akko. Always. My career, my achievements. All of them are because of you. Because you’ve always inspired me to be better and to do my best. From our school years at Luna Nova to your career as Akko the Believer, the way you worked your hardest and did your best to help the people around you… I always aspired to be as good and kind as you, darling.” 

Akko smiles at her, knowing that she’s crying just as much as Diana was. 

“I want to try again, Dia.” Akko whispers as she goes ahead and holds her wife’s hands, the touch welcoming and warm for both. “I want to give us another chance.” 

“There is nothing more I wish for.” Diana cries and although she feels like she should stop and try to compose herself, she also wants to let her wife see how moved and relieved she felt. “I… I’ve also been going to therapy. When I promised you all those months ago that I would do my best to be better... “ she looks away. “I really meant it. My life without you… It feels as if a piece of me is missing.” 

“A piece that I’ve left with you.” Akko finishes for her as she hugs her. “And me too Dia. I know we still have a long way to go and that there’s plenty more for us to discuss. But for the next part of this journey…” she steps away so she can see her wife’s blue eyes. “I want to take it with you.” 

“Me too darling.” Diana smiles, feeling for the first time in what felt like a long time truly happy. 

* * *

_Four Months Later_

“Dia!” Akko says as she notices her wife leaning next to her car. “Sorry I’m late!” she apologizes as she pulls her suitcase with her. “Our flight arrived earlier and there wasn’t a gate ready for us to offboard.” she huffs. “Honestly, what’s the point of arriving earlier if we’ll still get delayed because of logistics.” 

Diana laughs, finding her wife’s grumpiness adorable. 

“That’s alright darling.” she gives her a peck on the lips before helping her load her suitcase in the trunk. “I was able to answer some emails while I waited. Meaning that…” she closes the distance between them. “I’m all yours for the rest of the day.” 

“Lucky me.” Akko smiles and kisses her on the lips, desperate to taste her wife’s lips after the week they had spent apart. 

Following their conversation at the park, Diana and Akko had started working on their relationship together, going to a couple’s therapist while still going to their personal therapists. And, while at first it had been truly difficult to be vulnerable in front of each other; the two women had quickly realized how freeing it was to know that even after knowing the deepest and darkest secrets of each other, the love they felt didn’t fade. 

It increased. 

Yet they had waited to move back to their home, knowing how much being in that house had affected Akko and the unpleasant memories she had of that place. And while Akko was all for facing her fears and working over her concerns, Diana was different. So, the two had reached a compromise and had moved into an apartment. It was smaller than the house they had but it was their own and it was exactly what they needed to rebuild their relationship. 

Yet the lack of space was starting to become a problem for both, with Diana and Akko having to work on their beds and the kitchen table, which wasn’t the worst but also wasn’t the best. 

Not when the two needed to have their own space so that each could work on their projects, with Diana deciding to spend more time at home and focusing on research while Akko had started writing children stories. 

Stories that were now being published and that made Akko travel all around the world to promote them. 

“I missed you so much.” Diana tells her after they separate. “But it also makes me really happy to see how much people love your stories.” 

Akko blushes, feeling embarrassed because of her wife’s compliment. 

“Thank you Dia.” she murmurs as she hugs her wife. “I had fun and it was so great to see all the kids that came to the book read.” she tells her. “But it’s also nice to be back. And this time it’ll be for a while because I made my publicist swear that she wouldn’t schedule any book tours or book readings for the next two months.” 

“Two months?” Diana is surprised. 

“Well yeah! Didn’t you tell me that you were planning on asking for some vacation time at the hospital? I was hoping we could spend that time together and travel somewhere. It’s been so long since both of us have left London.” Akko says shyly, clearly wondering if she had overstepped her boundaries. 

“That sounds amazing darling!” Diana is really excited. “Two months is the perfect time to make that trip to Japan! We could visit your parents as well as truly get to know your country, which is something I’ve always wanted to do.” 

Akko smiles at her. 

“That sounds wonderful.” Akko is really happy. “I’ll start looking at plane tickets and let my mother know that we plan on visiting them.” 

“Good!” the blonde says as she steps away from Akko and pulls her towards the passenger seat. “Now hop on, I also have a surprise for you.” 

“You do?” Akko asks as she gets inside the car and puts her seatbelt on. 

Diana nods, getting inside of the car as well and driving away from the airport. 

“I do.” the blonde says and smiles at her. “And I know you want me to tell you but I really really want to surprise you. So will you let me?” she uses her pout, the one that she knows Akko is weak against. 

“You know that when you use that pout I can’t say no to you.” she huffs and then chuckles. “Okay, I won’t ask you any questions about the surprise. Can I instead ask about what you did while I was gone?” 

“I went to my weekly session with Thomas, who says hi by the way, and then spent some time at the lab doing some research. It was nice to be back at the hospital for a bit and catch up with the other doctors and nurses.” 

“Do you miss it?” Akko asks her suddenly. “Being back at the hospital?” 

“In a way.” Diana admits. “I miss it because with the way I’ve been spending my time, I don’t see the hospital as a hiding spot or as a place where I keep my secrets from you.” she tells her calmly. “But at the same time I don’t miss it because I like the tranquility and peacefulness of spending my days at home with you.” 

“I know what you mean.” Akko smiles, happy to hear that Diana was finding ways to balance her work and personal life. 

It had, not surprisingly, been one of the things that had cost her wife the most. 

“Wait…” Akko says as she notices that the road they were in was not the one they needed to take to make it back to their apartment. “This is not the way back to the apartment.” 

“It isn’t.” Diana confirms to her as she turns on the corner and brings them all the way to a nice looking complex with plenty of houses on each side of the street. 

“Well, do you want me to get my phone and type our address?” 

Diana looks at her for a short moment before focusing on the road again, making another turn and then finally stopping in front of a gray stoned brick house. 

“Diana?” she asks confused as she watches her wife get down from the car. “Wait!” she takes her seat belt off and follows her, the two now standing in front of the house that had a ‘SOLD’ sign right next to it. 

_Oh._

“I…” Diana takes a deep breath. “I’ve been looking at the real estate market ever since we realized that the apartment we’re at is too small for us. And, the day you left, our agent called me with information about a house that had everything on our wish list, going on sale. Since I had nothing to do, I agreed to come see it.” she points towards the house in front of them. “And when I saw it… I easily imagined the two of us living here. I made an offer that same day.” 

“Dia.” Akko says surprised. “But our old home…” 

“That place stopped being a home for us when you left.” Diana tells her firmly. “And I know you said it would be okay for us to return when we were ready but I don’t want to. I want us to start this new chapter in our lives in a new place that we can make our new home. The two of us. Together.” she whispers and looks down, afraid she had overstepped and had done something Akko wasn’t ready to do. 

True, the two of them had discussed the possibility of having to move to a new place because of how small their apartment was for them. In fact, they had even talked about returning to their old place. Yet there was always something that made the two of them hesitate to take that last step. Something holding them back from officially proposing it. 

And Diana, in a very Diana-like-way, had solved the problem by taking their old place out of the equation. 

Truly, something so simple and yet something so typical of her wife that it made Akko burst into laughter. 

“Darling?” Diana asks her confused. 

Had she lost it? 

“I… I just find it funny that something we were both agonizing over was so easily solved.” she admits to her. “I didn’t want to admit it because that place was our first home but I also didn’t truly feel ready to return there.” 

“Then we don’t have to.” Diana says as Akko smiles brightly at her. 

“Then we don’t have to.” Akko agrees as she goes ahead and hugs her wife, lifting and spinning her around. “Diana! You bought us a home!” 

“I did.” Diana laughs as she lets herself be held by her wife. “Who would have thought that _I_ would be the impulsive one?” 

Akko chuckles. 

“Well then…” she grabs her arm. “You better go ahead and show me our new home. It must have been truly amazing for you to make an offer that same day!” 

“It really is!” Diana says excitedly as she goes over all the details, failing to notice the way Akko kept smiling the longer she rambled about the house. “Truly, it’s as if Jennifer wanted us to buy this house.” 

“Dia…” Akko interrupts her with a bright smile on her face. “I love you so much.” 

Diana stops talking and stares at her wife, taking only a moment to answer her. 

“So do I darling.” she kisses her tenderly before taking the extra set of keys out of her purse and giving them to Akko. “Okaerinasai darling.” 

“Tadaima.” Akko whispers and uses her key to open the door, ready to build new memories at their new home with Diana by her side. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okaerinasai: Welcome home  
> Tadaima: I'm home

**Author's Note:**

> So... Unlike all my other fics I literally ended this one with the two of them going their separate ways. I'm considering to write a second and final part to this story, told from Akko's perspective as she works on her feelings and emotions to return to Diana. 
> 
> But that won't happen for a while so I'll leave this story as finished. But I will update it once I write that last part :)


End file.
